First Impressions: Super Mario Galaxy 2

First Impressions: Super Mario Galaxy 2

All right, I know its 2010 and to the typical “hardcore” gamer, the word Mario is for adolescents under the age of 13. However, I know that secretly Super Smash Bros. is one of your favorite fighters, you can’t walk away from a challenge of Mario Kart and no matter how many times you have done it, you can’t resist Peach and her damsel in distress ways.

I’m calling this article a first impression because it’s a recently released title and I have only played it for a couple of days. So if you are looking for a full review, this isn’t it – which is cool because I’m not going to reveal any spoilers to you. I can tell you how it felt when I found myself back on planet Mario. Super Mario Galaxy 2 is the latest adventure from our plumber hero, and as you can guess, while on his way to meeting Princess Peach for a rendezvous, chaos ensues.

So by now you’ve read all the reviews from the big gaming magazines and websites, but trust me, they can be bought and I NEVER go by reviews alone – but Super Mario Galaxy 2 won’t disappoint you. I was a little hesitant to reserve a copy – I’m the first to admit that I’ve gotten spoiled by pre-order bonuses, and this game didn’t come with any – but from the minute I opened up the package and inserted the game into my Wii I started to get excited. Starting from the very beginning of the game, you can really see the power of the way and its abilities in a 3-D environment. I know, it’s not HD, but in the end is it better to have HD graphics or just be fun with great gameplay? I’ll let you be the judge.

What really stuck out to me while playing the game are the larger than life bosses – which is becoming a theme for recently released game (God of War III, Lost Planet 2, etc.). It’s really exciting to see an old favorite like Bowser and new bosses fill up the entire screen as they try to pummel Mario across the stars. Of course, what would any Mario game be without new Mario costumes! There’s Cloud Mario, Rock Mario, Bee Mario, Rainbow Mario, Boo Mario and Spring Mario. I’ll leave you to find out what their special abilities are. I really enjoyed the physics of Bee Mario and the way he flies – that’s the game designer in me. Another great thing about Super Mario Galaxy 2 is the ability of the 2nd player playing the star character. He’s very useful in the game from collecting items to helping to stifle enemies, so the teamwork element makes the game less difficult and it’s always fun playing with another player.

So, beautiful graphics (you’re going to love the way the water looks), bigger than life bosses, the return of Yoshi and lots of fun – Super Mario Galaxy 2 is a wise choice. Now if only Nintendo can find a way to bring Luigi in on the action? Let me know what you think?